So You Think You Can Dance- 6/12- The First Cuts of Season 4

Cat welcomes us but apparently she is missing her skin from about her shoulders to about halfway down her thighs. What? That’s just her dress that looks kind of like her insides. My bad. The opening number is a kind of more-bizarre-than-usual Wade Robson routine that seems like A Clockwork Orange meets Blade Runner. It involves kidnapping Nigel. To me, Mark, Chelsea, Twitch, and Joshua are the standouts. But the editing is a little too hectic to really showcase the dancers. Cat informs us of the business of the evening and once again refrains from massacring the word “judges”.

Our first three couples are immediately brought on stage because it’s a packed show. Kherington and Twitch are first, and with positive feedback and audition round name recognition, they sail on through to the next round. They pretend like they were nervous. Pshaw. Chelsea and Thayne are next, and, again, with them kind of rocking last night and Chelsea maybe being the surprise star of the night (because, lets face it, she rocked it), they go right on through. Chelsie and Mark’s contemporary also received really good reviews, and I know others picked Mark out as the standout of the night, so I’m not surprised when they are safe as well. Aw, Cat shushes the contestants because she needs to send us to commercial. She’s adorable (and I mean that in a completely non-condescending way. She really is adorable).

The next group of couples is already on stage. Matt and Kourtni are first, and while I liked their routine, I would not be surprised to see them in the bottom, which would be really bad for Matt, since he kind of got the worst reviews of the night. They are in the bottom three, and as such will be dancing for their lives. Susie and Marquis are next, and, seeing as how Susie seems like such cannon fodder, Marquis is unknown, and they weren’t memorable, I’m not gonna be shocked if they’re down in the bottom too. But they’re safe. Comfort and Chris are next, and seeing as Comfort has more personality than anyone on that stage, I’m pretty sure they’re safe, and they are. Rayven and Jamie (who Cat calls Matt) are last from this group, and seeing as how I had them ranked as the worst, I’m not surprised they’re in the bottom. Nigel thinks Jamie being pantsed during the number is maybe why they’re in the bottom. If you say so, Nigel.

SIDENOTE: So, apparently Extra Fruit Sensations gum lasts longer than it took to make the universe. I like my gum to last longer than a split nanosecond. Or seven days. Whichever you believe.

Cat brings on the final three couples. Katee and Joshua are first, and since they were, IMO (and the judges), the best of the night, I’m gonna be really surprised if they don’t move on. But they do, so color me, I dunno, not surprised. The last spot is either for Jessica/Will or Courtney/Gev, and I think its kind of a tossup. I’m guessing the curse of Doriana Sanchez will continue and Courtney and Gev will be in the bottom, but we’ll see. The couple rounding out the bottom three is Jessica and Will, meaning Courtney/Gev are safe. Dan is bewildered as to why Jessica and Will are in the bottom. I’m guessing because Jessica kept slipping. I’m guessing that Rayven and Matt are going home.

One of the things SYTYCD is doing this season is introducing us to figures from the world of dance and this week its one of the innovators of popping, Popping Pete and a friend, Sho’Nee. They more than rock. They’re ridiculously good, and remind me of a better version of Robert Muraine (that’s how good they are). Popping Pete tells us about the origins of popping. See, it’s edumacational TV too.

SIDENOTE: As much as I like the music being used in the Snuggle commercials, Snuggle himself (bearself?) is really starting to creep me out.

Please, lets kill this Snuggle “Random people who want camera time do things that don’t really resemble happy dances” segment. Ooh, it’s time to dance for your life!

Kourtni: Kourtni is all beautiful leaps and leg movements, but she’s really weak on an extension to the point where she looks like she’s gonna topple. You can tell she’s pissed with herself after.

Matt: Matt’s footwork and extensions/leaps are beautiful, but he still needs to quite smiling so much. Also, don’t think I didn’t catch that you fell at the very end.

Rayven: It’s weird to see ballet on the stage. Obviously her form is great, but there’s nothing in it that made me want to see another 30 seconds of it.

Jamie: There’s a music glitch in Jamie’s performance, which really throws him. Ballroom solos are always kind of weak, but this is nowhere near as good as someone like Pasha was last season. Not to get all Nigel on you all, but he’s not nearly as masculine as the really good ballroom dancers usually are. It’s more blustery.

Jessica: Her solo is the most engrossing the three girls and she seems to have gotten over any of that wobbliness from last night. I could have maybe used a little bit bigger range of movement, but it’s a minor quibble.

Will: Well, that just blew everyone else out of the water. His movement is so interesting and, not to keep using this word, beautiful. Hands down the best solo of the bunch.

If I was doin’ the cuttin’, I’d eliminate Jamie and either Rayven or Kourtni, which is sad to say because I like her. Although I’d be worried if I were Matt, seeing as how there’s an excess of contemporary boys this year and Will knocked it out of the park.

Oh, hey, look, it’s a group of dancing prostitutes. What’s that, they’re a popular band called The Pussycat Dolls? Ok, got it. There’s a group of dancing prostitutes on stage called The Pussycat Dolls. The song is atrociously bad, with no melody or, you know, singing to speak of. At least they’re dancing though, which most musical acts last season did not do. I have to say, I truly hope they’re not lip-synching because then the song is actually that atonal and spoken. Yikes.

The judges are back, and it’s cuttin’ time. The girls are up and the judges are unanimous. They tell Kourtni to bring what she brought to her solos to her routines, because she’s safe. They weren’t big fans of Rayven’s footwork and Jessica’s solo overall, which is a little weird to me, since I was a big fan. Rayven is the girl going home tonight, and her parents in the audience seem more broken up than she is, although I’m guessing she’s just holding it back. Rayven is proud to have been a part of the experience. Also, she’s never danced professionally, which is pretty remarkable actually. The boys are next, and the judges are unanimous again. They are disappointed to see Will in the bottom three but they loved his solo, and he’s safe. They loved Jamie’s personality and Matt’s technique, and as such, reward Matt’s technique over Jamie’s personality, so Jamie is goin’ home, making it a full pair cut. Jamie is audibly on the verge of tears. I’m not particularly broken up, because, well, I didn’t think they were very good and their personalities didn’t do much for me either. Also, that prevents the Schwimmer legacy from making it far this season too, so yay (and yes, feel free to slam me for my continuing dislike of the Schwimmer Family and all subsidiary dancers). Did the right two go home? You tell me.